Courgette and lemon spaghetti

Mary McCartney's courgette and lemon spaghetti with sage, feta, Parmesan and
garlic is a quick and easy supper dish that's full of flavour

Courgette and feta pasta with lemonPhoto: MARY MCARTHY

By Mary McCartney

6:30AM BST 11 May 2012

This recipe came about when I was scanning the contents of my kitchen cupboards and fridge, trying to find something I could whip up in less than half an hour that wouldn’t create lots of dishwashing chaos. I like the sharpness of the feta combined with the freshness of the courgettes and the tanginess of the lemon. Also the flecks of herbs add an extra dimension that makes this dish burst with flavour.

SERVES

2

INGREDIENTS

200g spaghetti

3 tbsp light olive oil, plus more for drizzling on the drained spaghetti

METHOD

First, cook the spaghetti by bringing a large saucepan of water to the boil, adding a couple of large pinches of sea salt and then the spaghetti; it should take 8-10 minutes to cook. Stir every so often so the strands of pasta don’t stick together. When the pasta is just cooked (al dente), drain it in a colander, drizzle with a little olive oil and then mix to lightly coat the pasta and prevent the strands from sticking together. Set aside.

You can use the same saucepan to make your sauce. Pour in the three tablespoons of olive oil and bring to a medium heat, then add the courgettes and sauté for four to five minutes, before adding the garlic and herbs and mixing well. Sauté for a couple more minutes, to allow all the flavours to come together and the courgettes to cook through.

Return the cooked spaghetti to the pan and heat through, then mix in the cheese and lemon zest, and season with a little sea salt (you may not need much as the feta cheese is salty) and a good grind of black pepper. Serve, with a little more grated cheese sprinkled over if you wish.

Hamish Anderson’s wine choice 2011 Pinot Grigio, La Prendina, Lombardy, Italy £9.49, M&S. This comes from vineyards close to Lake Garda – not traditionally a heartland of pinot grigio, but this is a bottle of real interest. The salty feta is contrasted by ripe orchard fruits such as pear while the wine’s savoury, herbaceous, ever-so-slightly bitter side picks out the courgette and fresh herbs.